Meet someof our leaders

The leadership course has brought me much to celebrate, as well as the considerable toolkit and strategies to practice new skills in a meaningful way, it has made me feel part of a community of wonderful people who really understand the impact that having a disability has on all areas of my life. Change is hard. Learning the skills in order to manage and benefit from change is even harder. Without My Choice Matters I wouldn’t have survived all the change in my life and I certainly wouldn’t have learnt all the skills enabling me to fight for my rights and finally have a voice. I have grown in confidence and been able to share my experience to shape my supports planning. I’ve told my story at a conference and at a national meeting of managers for an NGO. Instead of somebody who could not get anybody to listen to my concerns that I had with service provision, I have been respected as a person who’s individual story is recognised as valuable. This is truly something to celebrate.

What leadership means to me is that it starts with me. Doing the leadership has also taught me to believe in myself. That I can do this that I am a leader. We can all be leaders. Initiative to look at the bigger picture. And not to fear but to have courage, that’s leadership. Also I draw on my deeper understanding of my own self to practice leadership in my own life. Not depending on other people to have the right to speak if I want to know something. It’s my right to get to know and to not be embarrassed because I was very shy to speak up. Also my sons disability has taught me to educate myself and learn as there are a lot of things to be learned. And meet some great people. The change starts when we make mistakes and we learn from it and not to fear, that’s courage. Not to stay in your comfort zone where we get stagnated.